Ing coepoeatiqn



May 30, 1933. s. 1.. WOLFSON ELECTRIC LIGHTER FOR CIGARS, ETC

Filed April 11, 1951 INVENTOR Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIDNEY L. W'OLFSON, F MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT. ASSIGNOR TO THE 'CUNO ENGINEER- ING CORPORATION, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT ELECTRIC LIGHTER FOR CIGARS, ETC.

Application filed April 11,

This invention relates to what are commonly called cigar lighters and particularly of the type in which the ignitor unit is easily removed from the support and circu1t connections.

The main object is to provide a device of this type which is small, simple and inexpensive and yet reliable and convenient to use. i

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section of one embodimentof this invention.

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 but with the socket removed from its support plug.

Fig. 3 is a right end view of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Some convenient fornr of supporting means such as the bracket 10 provided with one or more clamp screws 11 may support the device upon the instrument board of an automobile or elsewhere. Conductorwire 12 is connected to the center of the device while the other side of the line is grounded to the supporting bracket.

,A metal supporting plug or hollow stud 13 is aflixed to the bracket 10 and the ignitor or heater element is carried by the body or socket 1 1 which consists of a moulded plastic insulating material such as a phenolic condensation product or its equivalent. Theinsulating material of the socket 14 may engage the plug 13 without any wear resisting metal sleeve, or the like within the socket. The plug 13 may have a spring tongue 13 to frictionally or otherwise engage the inner wall 241 of the socket 1 1.

The supporting plug is secured within a recess in the bracket 10 by means of integral flanges 15 and 16 engaging the bracket as illustrated in Fig. 1. In addition there are inwardly extending integral flanges 17 and 18 which retain the insulating disc 19 in position. This disc may be of material similar to the socket member 1 1 or preferably of asbestos mixed with the insulating plastic material. The center contact 20 in the disc 19 is connected with the supply wire 12 and also carries the leaf spring 21. An insulating sleeve 22 separates the spring 21 from the plug 13 since the spring 21 is arranged to press outwardly. The end of the sup- 1931. Serial No. 529,373.

porting plug 13 is provided with an inturned I supporting portion 24. The socket member is provided with an integral transverse wall 25 carrying the rigid metal rod 26 which at one end is connected with the inner end of the heater element 27, and at its opposite end has an enlargement 28. Between the enlargement 28 and the wall 25 is a reduced portion 29, on which slides the washer 30 of insulating material which is normally pressed rearwardly by the helical spring 31. The outer end of the heater element is connected to the metal plate 82 illustrated as being clamped to the wall 25, in back of the heater element by the insulating washer 33 and the head 34 of the rod 26.

A yieldable contact member 35 extends from this end of the heater element into a position where it is adapted to engage the end of the plug 13 when the socket member is pressed toward the bracket.

l/Vhen the socket member is on thesupporting plug the enlargement 28 engages the leaf spring 21 and, since this enlargement 28 is rigidly secured to the socket member it may be appreciated that the spring 21 acts to yieldably retain the socket member in position on the plug so that no other yieldable connections between the plug and socket member proper are necessary.

The current path is from the supply wire 12 through the center contact 20 and leaf spring 21 to the enlargement 28 of the metal rod 26 connected to the central portion of the heater element 27. From this resistance element 27 the current passesthrough the yieldable contact arm 35 when the circuit is closed, and the yieldable arm 35 engages the end portion of the plug 13, which is grounded to the supporting bracket 10 and the frame of the car. Normally the socket member is carried in'the positionillustrated in Fig. 1 but when the heater element is to be connected in the circuit, the socket member 14.- is pressed to the left against the pressure of the spring 31 and naturally the yieldable con tact arm 35 engages the plug end portion completing the circuit. lVhen the heater element is as hot as desired, the socket member let is then Withdrawn as sho vn in Fig. 2 and the cigarette or cigar lighted.

Upon removal of the hand which pushes the socket member to the left and maintains the circuit closed, the spring 31 presses through the insulating disc 30 on the end flange 28 of the plug 13 to slide the socket member to the right and open the circuit by disconnecting the yieldable arm 35. The i11- sulating disc 30 thus transmits the thrust oi the spring 81 and since the disc at its inner end is against the enlargement 28, which is at a ditl'erent potential from the inturned flange 23 of the plug, it will be seen the disc should be of insulating material, or suitably constructed to insulate these two parts of the circuit.

The metal rod 26 and the portions carried thereby are preferably inserted in the socket member and the heater element secured to one end of this metal rod. The plug member 13 is preferably first provided with the lianges 15, 1G and 17 and then the insulating disc 19 inserted from the opposite end of the plug, after which the metal flange 18 is formed and the inturned flange 23 provided. The insulating sleeve 22 is preferably inserted before the flange 23 is bent down.

The plug 13 may or may not be yieldable.

I claim:

1. A lighter comprising a metal supporting plug, a socket member of insulating material removably supported on said plug with the insulating material in contact with the plug and supporting said member on the plug, a heater element carried by said socket mem her, a yieldable connection from said heater element adapted for cooperation With said plug, a spring contact Within said plug, anotherconnection from said element adapted for engagement with said spring contactof the plug, said spring contact Within the plug comprising a leaf spring engagin said plug through an insulation strip and aiso conductively engaging said second mentioned connection from said element to yieldably retain said socket member on the plug without the contacting portions of either the plug or socket member being yieldable.

2. A lighter comprising a metal supporting plug, a socket member of insulating material removably supported on said plug with the insulating material in contact with the plug and supporting said member on the plug, a heater element carried by said socket men'iber, a yieldable connection from said heater element adapted for cooperation with said plug, a spring contact Within said plug, another connection from said element adapted for engagement with said spring contact of the plug, said plug ha *ing its end portion open and said first mentioned yieldable connection engaging an end portion of said plug.

3. A lighter comprising a socket member and telescopic plug member, a heater element carried by one of said members, one of said members being of substantially non-yieldable metal and the other of said members being of insulating material throughout the portion in supporting cooperation with the metal member, a spring carried by one of said members for pressing the other member transversely of the socket and plug axis for retaining said members in engagement, and circuit connections for each member, said connections including the said metal member and said spring, the plug being of metal and said spring being carried within said plug and engaging a substantially rigid connection member -arried by said socket member.

-l-. A lighter comprising a socket member and telescopic plug member, a heater clement carrier by one of said members, one of said members being of substantially non-yieldable metal and the other of said members being ()It insulating n'iaterial throughout the por- 'oporting cooperation with the metal 'ng 'arried by one of said memthe other member transversely ol the socket and plug axis for retaining said members in engagement, and circuit connections for each member, said connections including the said metal member and said spring, the plug being of metal and said spring being carried within said plug and engaging a substantially rigid connection member carried by said socket member, a spring pressed disc of insulating material on said rigid connection member and adapted to engage the end of said plug.

5. A lighter comprising a socket member and a telescopic plug member, a heater element carried by one of said members, one of said members being of substantially nonyieldable metal and the other of said members being of insulating material throughout the portion in supporting cooperation with the metal member, a spring carried by one of said members for pressing the other member transversely of the socket and plug axis for retaining said members in engagement, and circuit connections for each member, said connections including the said metal member and said spring, and a yieldable contact member carried by the other member for slidably engaging the non-yieldable metal member.

6. A lighter comprising a socket member and telescopic plug member, a heater element carried by one of said members, one of said members being of substantially non-yieldablc metal and the other of said members being of insulating material throughout the portion in supporting cooperation with the met- 211 member, a spring carried by one of said members for pressing the other member transversely of the socket and plug axis for retaining said members in engagement, and

circuit connections for each member, said connections including the said metal member and said spring, said spring and metal member being connected to opposite sides of the supply circuit.

7. A metal supporting plug having an open end, a socket removably carried on said plug, a circuit connection Within said plug and another connection through said plug, a contact member carried by the socket and insertable in said plug to engage the connection therein, a contact member carried by said socket to engage said plug, a heater element connected to said socket contact mem bers, a spring within said socket for cooperation with said plug, for maintaining said plug-engaging contact member of the socket normally out of engagement with said plug, the plug insertable socket contact member being provided with a shoulder and an insulating disc yieldably pressed against said shoulder by said spring and slidable on said contact member.

8. A cigar lighter consisting of a quickly removable heater element and a supporting tubular metal member for said element, an insulating wall closing one end of said tubular member and held in place between integral bent inwardly extending flanges formed in said member, a support, said tubular member having another flange securing said member to the support, and a contact member secured to said insulating wall for conducting current to said heater element, the tubular member constituting another portion of the heater circuit. 1

9. A lighter element comprising an insulating body having a recess in its rear end adapted to receive a supporting conducting sleeve and a partition, an exposed igniter coil at the front of the partition, a conducting stud supported by said partition and having one end connected to said coil and the other end projecting into said recess and adapted to engage a contact within the supporting sleeve, a contact finger connected to the outer end of the coil and adapted to electrically engage the supporting sleeve, a washer slidably supported on said stud and adapted to engage the end of the supporting sleeve and a spring interposed between said washer and said partition.

SIDNEY L. WOLFSON. 

